Submission
by M.V.Avery
Summary: AU. Fake smiles and white lies. He had them all fooled. All but her. She could feel it in her bones, feel how dark and twisted he truly was.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and I never will. As per usual I was just attacked by a vicious plot bunny. They tend to jump me when I'm not looking.

A fair warning, this is AU.

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><p><strong>PROLOGUE: All good things must come to an end<strong>

She was blinded by pain, excruciating merciless pain. The moment she saw him, saw _them_, she knew she had been right all along. His naked, sweaty body pounding with wild abandon into the blonde girl beneath him, and the woman beneath him so far gone in her pleasure that she was completely oblivious to Hermione's presence. He wouldn't, _couldn't, _change. She knew it was a possibility, that she would one day come over unannounced and find him shagging the daylights out of another shameless whore, who had no doubt flung herself at him like her life depended on him. Like they all did. But the knowledge of the possibilities didn't make the actual discovery any less painful. And it certainly didn't help that he had chosen to bed Lavender Brown of all people. Why did it have to be her of all the shameless floozies to choose from? The old resentment for the alluring blonde welled up in her again, and it took her all to stop herself from crying. Disgusting. Pitiful. _Stupid_.

"Oh, I didn't know you had company." How she managed to remain calm was a wonder, even to her. And whatever he had expected her to say it obviously wasn't that. Perhaps he had thought she would fly off the handle and throw scathing remarks at him and the wanton floozy. Well she had news for him.

"Well, sorry to interrupt, it wasn't my intention. I just came to give you back your keys. You see, I got an early admission to the Trauma Centre in Dufftown, they have their hands full at the moment, what with that dreadful gang of Death Eaters terrorising the area. So, I won't be needing access to your flat anymore." Her voice was sickly sweet and never faltered, not even for a second. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of thinking he had hurt her; she wouldn't give anyone that chance.

_Never again. _

She dangled the keys in front of her and gave a shrug, when she saw his burning stare. He could stare all he wanted, _bloody arsehole_. She placed the keys on the dresser and turned on her heels and left.

"Oh, and Tom, it was fun while it lasted, but I guess you will have to look for another regular shag, perhaps Lavender here would be up for it?" She threw over her shoulder as she left. She hoped it hurt him, and that her nonchalance would get to him somehow. But deep down she knew it wasn't likely to happen. He didn't love her, probably didn't even like her, but she knew mentioning the position of being a regular shag-body to Lavender, would tick him off.

Then it hit her, waves of pure murderous rage churning inside of her, as she descended the stairs, trying to get away as fast as humanly possible. She wished she could just disappear into thin air, and arrive safe and sound in the safe confines of her flat. Too bad magic didn't exist.

If he ever showed his pretty face around her again, there would be blood.

Lots of it.

Draco's broken nose could not even begin to compare to the violent acts she would commit, should he decide to come crawling back. But in the meantime she needed to cool down, this wasn't like her, to get so upset because of a man. A known heartbreaker at that. She had taken it too far this time, let herself become too emotionally invested, and most importantly - she had let herself forget what _they_ were really like, how they couldn't be trusted. Especially not him_. Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ she chided herself. Why couldn't she for once just have her happily ever after? He had fit together with her like no other, had understood her and her needs.

But they weren't a real couple, had never been a real couple. Instead she had let herself forget and just be happy. And the idiot that she was had thought he was satisfied, but how could he possibly be? He was Tom Marvolo Riddle, famous heart surgeon, and completely unattainable. While she, Hermione Granger, was nothing but a promising nurse, emotionally stunted and unable to keep a steady boyfriend.

She had been too comfortable around him, and treated their relation as a relationship. So ultimately it was her own fault. Again she had been responsible for her own downfall. Only this time the pain was unbearable.

Funny how she hadn't learned anything from her relationship with Draco. Honestly, what was wrong with her? Did she unknowingly attract bad boy personas, who were hell-bent on destroying her emotionally? Sure she had dated Viktor and Seamus for a short while, but they didn't intrigue her. They were too safe, too boring, too predictable. They could be controlled, if need be and for that she didn't have one ounce of respect left for them. Instead she ended up hating them, and ultimately pushing them away for good, before they could get too close. Tom on the other hand… She had let herself become mesmerized by his devilish handsome looks, his devious personality, and his ability to drive her insane with pleasure.

While she had thought her heart broken, when she walked in on Draco and Lavender five years ago, it was nothing compared to the hurt she felt right now. Draco's betrayal had left a crack; Tom's had ruthlessly ripped her poor heart to shreds. How he was capable of such a feat was beyond her.

The higher you fly, the harder you fall. Truer words had never been spoken.

Hermione rummaged through her handbag once she had reached the bus stop, and found her phone buried beneath lipstick, knickers and keys. She dialled the number of the one person she knew would make her forget.

"Hello?" A sleepy voice mumbled.

"Hullo Sirius. Up for a late night visit?"

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><p>AN: I know it's short, but it's just the prologue, and the real chapter one should be up sometime this week. Also, the next chapter is a great deal longer. The plot bunny is vicious like that.<p>

So, this is my second fanfiction, and I really hope you like it, mostly because this story means a lot to me, however dark it may become in the future.

I would like to point out that English is my third language, and so far I don't have a beta, so I apologise for possible mistakes.

Reviews are always welcome.

Love,

M.V. Avery


	2. Chapter One: Hero Worshipping Sycophants

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own my plot bunnies, even if they seem reluctant to let me put a collar on them.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE <strong>

Hero Worshipping Sycophants

_St. Mungo's, London. Five months ago._

She was bored. Bored out of her mind and ready to kill the chipper blonde beside her. If that annoyance uttered the word _fascinating_ one more time, while her bleach blonde hair in that obnoxiously high ponytail swung merrily with every step she took, she would go mad for sure. Honestly, was it even allowed to be that cheerful?

She had already seen the hospital countless of times, yet here she was, forced to be shown around along with all the new interns and nurses. She swore under her breath, normally she would jump with joy when learning something new. Only this wasn't new. It was already processed information, stored and filed. She knew St. Mungo's like the back of her mind. And so here she was, stuck with a bunch of skittish, fresh out of school, surgical interns and a couple of nurses. Sure she was a nurse herself, minus the skittish part, but she certainly wouldn't be seen in public, acting like a bunch of school children on a sugar high. Maybe in the past she would have been just as enthusiastic as them, but St. Mungo's wasn't where she wanted to be, even if it was the best hospital in England.

No, where Hermione Granger really wanted to be was Dufftown. They had an amazing Trauma Centre that dealt with the gang war currently raging through the country, as most hospitals did these days. But Dufftown was taking the blunt of it, so was Hogsmeade, and everyone in the vicinity was directed to Dufftown's Trauma Centre. The excitement to be in the middle of it, to actually help people who were in dire need of it. That was her dream, and she was one step closer. Even if she was just a nurse, she could definitely make a difference. But the problem with the Trauma Centre was that they didn't take inexperienced nurses or doctors, they demanded at least two years of experience before they accepted anyone, which was logical enough, she supposed. But it certainly didn't help her mood.

She followed the group down the hall, honestly trying to pay attention, but she had done her research about the hospital months ago, when she found out that they had accepted her. Now _that_ was real enthusiasm, she mused. These hyperactive prats didn't hold candle to her, and it wasn't that she was vain or conceited. She knew she was the best. She aced all of her tests, be it practical or theoretical ones. Simple as that.

They were being showed around storerooms at the moment, when she saw him. Standing right outside conversing with a fellow doctor, nurses lined up waiting to talk to him, was Dr Tom Riddle. She knew who he was, she had seen countless of pictures of him in the Daily Prophet. It was hard not to notice him, with the way he held himself and the way people seemed almost immediately drawn to him. He had that magnetic personality that attracted people.

He was all smiles and flirty comments it would seem, but something felt off. And she knew exactly what it was.

Those weren't real smiles. She would know.

Interesting. So the good doctor was annoyed by his never-ending piers and admires. Maybe her time here wouldn't be so boring after all, if she could observe him and his interesting behaviour. It didn't hurt he looked like sex on legs either. Crude words, but true nonetheless. The man was sexy as hell and had a reputation worse than Sirius Black, but how he managed to stay on good terms with all his conquests, she would never know. Manipulation and lies most likely.

Sirius Black, ladies man and sexy beast, on the other hand, he received the occasional slap and drinks in his face, when he dumped his girls, from what she had gathered from Remus and Tonks. Well, she supposed there would have to have been a proper relationship and commitment in the first place to warrant the term 'dump'. These men simply didn't do relationships. So perhaps they didn't so much 'dump' women as they discarded them and moved on to the next victim. At least Sirius Black was upfront about his intentions, Tom Riddle on the other hand… Well, from what she had heard, rumours mostly, he made it seem like he was looking for _the one_, and in some absurd way made the girls he bedded blame themselves for their quick break up, and as far as she knew he only saw them once or twice. He must truly be a master of manipulation.

_Better stay clear of that one._

In her grand discovery it would seem her group had already moved on to the next stop. _Oh bloody hell._ It obviously wouldn't do to get caught up in her thoughts. She hurried after them, a bit miffed no one had nudged her or said something in order to get her to follow. But then again, this was the real world, not kindergarten.

She found them just around the corner, looking at the nurses' station. She groaned. She couldn't wait for the tour to be over, and wondered for the umpteenth time why she couldn't be excluded from it, but no, it was mandatory. She could just hear that catty little bitch gloat at her expense, she had of course inquired if she could be exempt from the tour, but a redheaded nurse had shot her down immediately. _Bitch._

She frowned. She hated cursing, but found herself doing it an awful lot lately.

The person in charge droned on and on, it was almost as bad as Professor Slughorn back at Hogwarts. She had actually looked forward to having chemistry, but Slughorn had ruined whatever positive feelings she had towards that class. Not that it mattered much now anyway.

"It really is boring, isn't it?" A pretty girl beside her said, effectually waking Hermione from her daze.

"She's worse than Slughorn." Hermione shuddered at the thought.

"Ah yes, Professor Slughorn, I heard stories about him, almost as bad as Professor Binns. Although, I had Professor Snape in chemistry, and trust me when I say, you do not wish to get on his bad side. I'm Marlene McKinnon by the way." Blue eyes scrutinizing Hermione.

"Ugh, don't remind me, I nearly fell asleep during one of Binns' lessons. Snape? I feel sorry for you, I had detention with him once." Hermione paused, remembering that one awful detention she had to serve with the greasy git. "I'm Hermione Granger, nice to meet you, although I don't remember seeing you at Hogwarts." Hermione tried to recall Marlene, but came up empty handed.

"I know who you are, most from Hogwarts do. You achieved the highest score in a decade or so, and you were Head Girl, I remember feeling mighty surprised when I learned you wanted to be a nurse. Always thought you would go for something like being a solicitor or a doctor. And Hogwarts is a big school, so I'm not really surprised." Marlene replied.

"Oh, I tend to forget that. As for being a nurse, it was what I wanted to do." She shrugged, many had bothered her about it, asking why she didn't choose something else, something more prestigious, but being a nurse was what she wanted.

"I know what you mean." She said, and something told Hermione that she really did.

"Oh! It looks like we're finally done! Thank God. I think I would have throttled that stupid toad, if she hadn't finished soon." Hermione sighed in relief.

"I'll say. That was Dolores Umbridge, she's Head Nurse around here. My friend Dorcas is the receptionist at the main entrance, and she told me she's a right terror around here." Marlene explained in distaste, and it was clear this Dorcas had told Marlene some terrible things about this Dolores Umbridge.

"God I hope not, people like that has a tendency to misunderstand my enthusiasm, when it comes to learning." Hermione groaned.

"Oh! Would you look at that, it's Tom Riddle! Oh my God!" Marlene shrieked in delight, when she spotted Tom Riddle round the corner and head for the nurses' station, two starry-eyed nurses in tow. How nauseating, she wondered how some women could be so naive as to think they would ever get through to a man like Riddle, when acting like loyal little puppies.

"Shh! Marlene! Lest he actually hear you squealing like a fan girl. Now that would be embarrassing." Hermione half joked, but she was indeed serious about the quiet part.

"I did not squeal like a fan girl!" She looked indignantly at Hermione.

"You so did." Hermione laughed, and Marlene cracked a smile as well.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you're in luck today! This here is Dr Tom Riddle the best heart surgeon in the country." Umbridge introduced the smiling doctor, but Hermione could have sworn he was about to pop a vein. She certainly would have done worse, had the horrible woman clad in pink scrubs, grabbed her and put her on display like that. No one seemed to notice his discomfort, at being lady-handled by a toad-like woman. It was unbelievable how, even a woman in Umbridge's age, would take the slightest chance to touch the popular doctor. Sure, he was sex on legs, clearly intelligent and successful, but to have that many women and men wrapped around his finger… Did he brainwash them or what?

The small group of newly appointed interns and nurses made a small fuss of applauding him, and Hermione did too. It wasn't every day you met a world-class surgeon with a reputation as spotless as his, and despite his personality, she did admire his skill. She turned to Marlene, who looked like Christmas had come early.

"Honestly, could you look less like you want to jump his bones?" Hermione mocked silently, not wanting anyone to hear.

"What? Don't tell me you don't find him attractive?" She whispered back, looking sceptically at Hermione.

"I do find him attractive, but that certainly doesn't mean I want to be another notch on his bedpost. Guys like him are the worst. Besides, I don't make a habit of looking at someone like they are a piece of meat about to be devoured. That's their job. Guys I mean." Hermione finished, and observed the slowly dwindling crowd around the handsome doctor. They had already been dismissed for the day, as it was only an introduction to their new workplace.

"Geez Hermione, has anyone ever told you not to analyse everything, and just go with the flow once in a while?" Marlene huffed at her, but she no doubt knew Hermione was right in her assessment of him.

"I have been told once or twice, yes." She shrugged, not really caring.

"Oh well, I will see you tomorrow for rounds, I have to meet Dorcas down in the reception." She said looking at her wristwatch, although a bit reluctant to leave already.

"Sure, it was nice talking to you." Hermione bid her goodbye, and looked as she headed towards the elevator, lazily pressing the silver button.

Hermione had no intention of going home just yet. While everyone was busy fussing and gushing over Dr Sexy over there, she would get some actual work done. Flipping through the files and journals to prepare for tomorrow's early morning rounds sounded like a much better idea. To her at least.

So she slipped behind the counter, a bit sneakily she mentally added, and asked a stern looking woman if it was all right to prepare for tomorrow. The woman seemed mighty surprised by her request. Obviously she hadn't met such a studious person in a long time. Not surprising when she considered the ones she had already seen.

_Minerva McGonagall_ her nametag read. _Better remember that._

"Thank you, I like to be prepared, you see." Hermione smiled at the elder woman.

"A rarity among you youngsters I assure you, but highly appreciated Miss Granger." Minerva offered a small smile.

"I know, which is one of the reasons I strive to be better."

"Commendable. I shall take my leave now. The Prewett twins in room 220 have both managed to break bones again. They are regular residents these days." She grumbled at the last part, and it was clear she would rather they stayed at home, than wreak havoc in the hospital.

"Fabian and Gideon are here?" Hermione asked surprised, but when she thought about it, it wasn't all that surprising.

"You know them?" Minerva looked surprised as well, the two pranksters were not someone she would have thought the promising young lady in front of her, would associate with.

"I'm a friend of their sister, Molly. Believe me, I know them." Hermione muttered, annoyed to have the two dunces in the hospital, just when she started working there. Hopefully she wouldn't see them around. She shuddered when she thought of the practical jokes and pranks they would come up with, should they discover her now permanent presence in their vicinity. They always had a knack for riling her up, and it seemed to be their favourite pastime whenever she was around.

Minerva went on her way, albeit rather grudgingly, and Hermione started reading through the journals, noticing from the corner of her eyes how everyone seemed to have already gone home for the day. Only Dr Riddle was left.

He noticed her, and she could see he was expecting her to do something, anything, as she was the only one left of the group, and she had yet to seek him out. Perhaps he thought she was one of the more persistent ones.

"Relax, I'm not interested. Besides you look like you could use a break from all that attention." She assured him, while browsing through the files, not even bothering to look at him.

"Then what are you still doing here? Not to pry or anything, but everyone else left. And it's no bother, really. You get used to it after a while." He was the epitome of politeness, although she could detect a faint trace of annoyance. Not to mention arrogance.

"Yeah right." She snorted. She wasn't fooled, not for one minute. She kept looking through the files, wanting to be as prepared as possible for the next day.

"Excuse me?" He looked baffled by her exclamation.

"You don't have to lie, you know. It's okay if you don't like all that attention. I imagine it must be annoying to constantly have people latch on to you like creepy little leeches. I would certainly be annoyed." She said, only now shooting him a hurried glance. Damn, he looked even better up close. She could feel a small blush creep onto her cheeks, and mentally slapped herself for acting like a schoolgirl. Damn those hormones! She dearly hoped he didn't notice.

Her gaze went back to the journals in front of her, in a pathetic attempt to fight, as well as hide, her blush stained cheeks.

"What makes you think it bothers me?" He drawled out lazily, but she could tell he was honestly interested in her answer. By the way he now leaned over the counter to get a better look at her, and by the way he smirked at her, she knew he had _definitely_ seen her blush. God this man was arrogant! Smirking at her like that, and staring at her like she was a piece of meat! The nerve of that man!

"When Umbridge put you on display before, you looked like you were about to pop a vein. Don't worry though, I don't think anyone else noticed." She explained as nonchalantly as possible and looked up at him, startled to find him staring so intently at her, and for a moment she found herself lost in alluring green eyes.

"For someone _not interested_, you seem awfully concerned about my well being." He raised an eyebrow at her in such an arrogant manner only he could pull off. He did not just insinuate that!

"How dare you! Just because you are some hotshot doctor, doesn't mean everyone fancies you!" She slammed the journal shot and stood up, hands on the table and staring right back at him in anger. This only served to amuse him, it seemed.

"You certainly are an amusing little nurse. Maybe things might not be so boring with you around. Hero worshipping sycophants do get a little tiring after a while." He taunted her while shrugging nonchalantly, not yet aware of her explosive temper.

"You arrogant snake! I can't believe what you just said! How dare you treat people like that?" She shrieked, but tried to keep her voice down, should anyone overhear their heated little argument.

He leaned forward on the counter and thereby closer to her, until there was only a few inches between them. "I dare." He whispered, and she could feel his cool breath on her lips. A shiver went down her spine, but she kept staring at him trying to ignore the tingling sensation in her body.

She could only stare wide-eyed in disbelief at his arrogance and his admission. He started to pull back, and when she didn't retaliate he turned to leave.

"But you were right about one thing. I am a former resident of the Slytherin dormitories, so I suppose you weren't far off in your assessment of me. We were called snakes quite often, but I am sure you know that." He said over his shoulder, and proceeded to leave, effectively leaving her stunned.

If there was one thing she had learned by this encounter, it was that she should stay as far away from Tom Riddle as possible. Even if she told someone of their… whatever this had been, she doubted anyone would believe her. He had just shown her his true colours, so to speak, and he had seemed to find her amusing. That was not good. Most definitely not good. Men like him tended to see her as a challenge, or women like her in general, because she had no interest in their obvious games. And not only had she seen right through him, she had also insulted him and told him she wasn't interested - that itself probably was an insult to him. If that didn't scream challenge, she didn't know what did. But it wasn't like she had done it on purpose, no, she just had a tendency to lose her head a bit, when agitated.

Oh dear. Tomorrow would prove to be most difficult with this newfound development.

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><p>.<p>

"Tonks? What are you doing here?" Hermione looked at her purple haired friend sitting in the hallway, just beside the door to her flat. As far as Hermione was concerned, they hadn't planned anything today. She had known Tonks since Hogwarts, and although they hadn't been in the same dormitories, Hermione had been in Gryffindor and Tonks had been in Hufflepuff, they had still had a lot of classes together, where they instantly bonded. Even though many were sceptic about their friendship, as they were polar opposites of each other, they didn't care. Where Hermione was the rational, slightly eccentric bookworm, a classic beauty and dating disaster, Tonks was the alternative tough chick with a perpetual penchant for trouble, clumsy as hell and a trustworthy friend. While they didn't have many interests in common, they always found something to do.

"Hermione! What took you so long? Molly said you should have been out of the hospital an hour ago, I have been waiting here ever since." Tonks jumped up and nearly fell back down again in all her haste, and Hermione had to chuckle at her friend's clumsiness.

"I had to go blow some steam off, I got into an argument… of sorts. I needed to calm down and think rationally about it." Hermione grumbled, remembering her run-in with Dr Riddle, which only made her scowl at the thought.

"Must have been bad to get you to scowl like that, Herms." Tonks laughed at her, eyes sparkling with mirth.

"I swear to God if you don't stop calling me Herms, I will start calling you by your given name." Hermione grumbled and shot her friend a glare.

"Unless you want to get hurt, I suggest you don't…" Tonks muttered, and pulled Hermione into a one-armed hug.

"You never answered me, you know. What are you doing here?" Hermione asked again.

"Oh, right. I wanted to inform you that this Friday your arse is mine, we're going to The Three Broomsticks. It's a new club in Hogsmeade. And no excuses, I checked your work schedule with Molly, so I know you aren't working on Saturday." Tonks said, while moving her arm to rest around Hermione's shoulders, effectively pulling her close to her.

"And you couldn't have called me for that? And there's no way of getting out of it?" Hermione shrugged off Tonks arm, and rummaged through her handbag in search of her keys. Why was it always so hard to find one's keys in a handbag? It wasn't logical. There was hardly enough space for them to get lost in.

"My phone had a bit of an accident, and Remus wouldn't let me anywhere near his." She grumbled, displeased with her boyfriend's verdict. "And no Hermy, not going to happen. Besides Sirius will be there, so you might actually get laid for once." Tonks gave her a once over. "You look like you need it."

"Shut it! Besides, it was only one time with Sirius, and I was pissed at the time, and so was he." She opened her door and pulled Tonks with her. "What exactly happened to your phone?" She raised an eyebrow at Tonks, while taking her coat off.

"I dropped it in the toilet. Don't ask. And stupid Remus won't lend me his." She gathered her hair into a low ponytail, when her fringe continued to bother her, purple strands whirling around.

"Why am I not surprised?" Hermione sighed at her friend's stupidity, she had lost count on how many phones she had either lost or completely ruined. Her mother, Andromeda, had long since given up on getting her to take better care of her things. "So, how long are you staying?" She threw herself on her sofa, exhausted and ready to sleep the minute Tonks left.

"Not long, I have to meet Remus in an hour. We're going to see mum tonight, and he's probably wearing a hole in his carpet right about now. Seriously, it's not like mum's going to eat him or anything. She just wants to meet him properly before we move in together." Tonks said, smiling at the thought of her nervous boyfriend. They had been dating for six months already, but to be fair Tonks had tried to catch his attention since she had attended Hogwarts. Needless to say, he had obviously refused back then because of the age difference and the fact that he was her teacher at the time, but persistent as she was he had caved in the end, only three and a half years later. Hermione had found Tonks' single-minded pursuit very entertaining throughout the years, and she had almost felt bad for her old professor. Almost. However odd the match was, they complimented each other quite nicely, and sometimes Hermione found herself jealous of their relationship.

"I can imagine. He's always been uncomfortable in situations like that. But say hello to your mum for me." Hermione injected.

"Will do. Shite, I better get going now, I have to pick up something for Molly on the way home. She will have my head if I'm late again." Tonks said, when she realized she had forgotten her appointment with Molly.

Molly Weasley nee Prewett was the motherly input in their little group of friends. She always berated both of them, whether it was because Hermione was studying too much and forgetting to eat properly, or because Tonks was knocking things over because of her clumsiness. Molly had bunked with Hermione back in Hogwarts, as they were both assigned the Gryffindor dorms, and she had readily accepted Tonks into the mix. She was stubborn and a bit narrow-minded at times, but she was kind to the people she considered friends and family, and would do anything for them if need be. She had married straight out of Hogwarts, and no one had questioned it. Molly was simply the marrying type, and she loved Arthur from the bottom of her heart. What Hermione couldn't comprehend though, was the fact that she had wanted to be a house wife and mother straight out of school, not that there was anything wrong with it, but to her it was still a bit early to think about starting a family. Molly hadn't shared those sentiments and had become pregnant soon after she married Arthur. Now, four years later, she had two children and a third on the way.

Talk about being productive. Molly was a regular baby factory these days, and she had no doubt they would end up with a house full of children.

"Alright, see you Friday then." Tonks had a bounce in her step when she left, obviously looking forward to seeing Remus squirm during dinner. Hermione had to admit she would too. But having to deal with Molly and all her questions before said dinner. would have annoyed Hermione.

The only thing she really disliked about Molly was her incessant need to set Hermione up on dates and her never-ending questions in regards to her love life, or rather lack thereof. And lately it seemed to be her absolute favourite pastime. Why was it so important whether Hermione had a boyfriend or not? Which was something Hermione couldn't figure out for the life of her. Tonks was more hooked on getting Hermione laid than anything else, which amused her somewhat.

Seriously, why couldn't she just be allowed to figure things out on her own? It wasn't that she missed having a boyfriend, seeing how the last ones were disappointments. Viktor had been sweet and tender, as had Seamus. But somehow they weren't enough for her. They were too predictable, too clingy and touchy-feely. Where was the excitement in that? They were too sweet for her. The sex was a bore as well. It wasn't that they didn't know what they were doing, no, it just wasn't passionate enough for her. They didn't have that spark of fire in them, like _he_ had. It hurt thinking about him.

Arsehole. Bastard. Scumbag. Oh she had plenty of names for him. Cheating son of a bitch was probably the most fitting title though. Draco Malfoy, her childhood nemesis and her designated heartbreaker. She hardly remembered how they came to be as a couple, but they did, and Hermione had been in over her head. But why he saw it fit to ruin it all by sleeping with Lavender Brown behind her back, she would never know and she wasn't sure she wanted to. He had hurt her more than anyone else ever had.

But that was now in the past, she reminded herself.

Bloody wanker.

Then Viktor had come into the picture, but however much she was loath to admit it, he had honestly been no more than a rebound to her. He had been head over heels in love with her, and wanted her everything, something she couldn't give.

How could she when Draco still had a piece of her?

Seamus had been her latest… something. They had been on a few dates, but she hadn't been into it. He had been nothing but sweet, but as with Viktor, he turned into an overprotective clingy 'boyfriend', and she used the term boyfriend quite loosely here. He assumed too much. Molly had been furious with her, asking how she could live with herself for breaking such a sweet man's heart. And again Molly had meddled, much to her chagrin. Honestly, couldn't she just focus on her children instead? But the redhead had always been adamant in her mothering of Hermione, maybe it was because she had been the first to befriend Molly all those years ago. Who knew?

She sighed deeply and ran a hand through her brown curly locks. Too much thinking, a specialty of hers. She groaned and turned around in her plush sofa, she could only just reach her old white blanket from where she was laying. She pulled it over her and sighed in bliss, and if anyone dared to disturb her now, she would unleash hell on the idiot in question.

Hopefully tomorrow wouldn't be so bad. But with her luck she doubted that was the case. Maybe Tonks was right about the Sirius thing, she really could use a good shag. She did have needs, even if she suppressed them most of the time. And Sirius, the man definitely knew what he was doing, even if they had both been inebriated at the time.

It wasn't that she knew Sirius all that well, but he was an old friend of Remus, and she would see him sometimes at gatherings accompanying Remus. Even if the man was well into his thirties, he looked good. Better than good actually. He was handsome in that rugged sort of way, and with the way he dressed, leather jacket and all, he gave off a slightly dangerous vibe. The women loved it. Hermione too, found him very attractive, but she had no intentions of throwing herself at him, like most did. But she had to admit, whenever she had seen him at clubs and pubs, surrounded by alcohol and women, she found it amusing to observe the dynamics of his personality and behaviour. He really was an interesting character.

Hermione yawned and closed her eyes, sleep not too far away.

Maybe this Friday was exactly what she needed.

.

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><p>.<p>

AN: Hello again! So this was the real chapter one, and hopefully it answered some of your questions, as the prologue was a bit vague. As I mentioned in the prologue, this is AU, so no magic. I hope it was to your liking anyway, and hopefully the next chapter will be a bit longer, but I didn't have much time. Life tends to get in the way, even if plot bunnies tries to meddle.

And thank you so much for the reviews, favourites and alerts. They really make my day! Honestly, they do. I get so happy whenever someone leaves a review or put my stories on their favourite list, and what author wouldn't?

Well, I don't have much else to add, other than I hope to update again next week (not sure of the date, though), and that I really hope you liked it.

Love,

M.V. Avery


	3. Chapter Two: Million Dollar Man

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own the song Million Dollar Man. But I do own my plot bunnies. I have caged them by now, as they tend to jump me at very inappropriate moments.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO<strong>

Million Dollar Man

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><p>.<p>

I don't know how you convince them and get them, but

I don't know what you do, it's unbelievable

And I don't know how you get over, get over

Someone as dangerous, tainted and flawed as you

_Million Dollar Man - Lana Del Rey_

_._

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><p><em>St. Mungo's, London.<em>

He was ruthless. Some would call him a cold-hearted bastard, or they would if they knew him, knew his sadistic side. But only his idiotic stepbrother knew after all.

He was not a nice person, and he cringed at the mere thought of being one. _Nice_. Nice was overrated. Nice was pathetic. He did what he pleased, and he had realized from an early age that being nice would get him nowhere, although _playing_ nice was a completely different matter. He was clearly intelligent, had acquired wealth all on his own and he was handsome beyond comparison. He could do whatever he wanted to, buy what he desired, and women came easy.

He fucked what he fancied. In other words, he most certainly did _not_ do relationships or commitments. It was a bother. An unnecessary hassle. Unfortunately it was a nuisance that was expected of him, he was supposed to find the perfect woman and settle down, maybe even have a few children and play house. _Not bloody likely. _He abhorred children, most likely a product of his stay at that awful Orphanage, and as a result he saw no immediate future with any offspring of his in it.

And why exactly should he do what was expected of a respected and highly regarded person such as he? It was his life, and everybody else was merely there for his amusement. Not the other way around.

So why did this blonde tart, flaunting her delectable little body in front of him, insist that they should enter a relationship? That they should be more? More than what exactly? All he had ever done with her, was take her to dinner _once,_ and had later that very same evening, proceeded to fuck her senseless. If it hadn't been for her nametag, he doubted he would have remembered her name. _Mafalda Hopkirk_. Thank God for nametags, a blessing which had been introduced to the hospital some time last year, as it was a very big hospital.

But how did one go from _that_ to a committed relationship? One had to wonder. One clearly had to wonder if she had a functional brain. Maybe he should suggest a head CT? Then he could always ship her off to Angelina Johnson, the current head of Neuro. But sadly that wasn't something he could do, despite however much he wanted to.

He was starting to get annoyed by her incessant chattering, and moved to brush her off as gently as possible. How he wished he could just tell her to fuck off and leave him alone, tell her she was no more than a quick shag, and that she was nowhere good enough to satisfy the likes of him. She had been rather plain, not to mention boring in bed. How fucking hard could it be to come across a good fuck?

But no, he couldn't just blurt all those things out. He had a bloody reputation to uphold. And it was not going to be ruined because of one of his countless conquests. He managed to get her to leave, but he knew he had to take care of her later, permanently. This was temporary peace, but he was grateful nonetheless.

He rounded the corner and came to the nurses' station, in pursuit of a journal to a post-op patient. What a bother. More nurses. He felt like he was drowning in nurses and interns lately. He very nearly groaned out loud at the thought of interns. There was nothing worse than the stuttering fumbling fools that were newly educated in the medical field, also known as interns. Surgical interns. Surgical interns placed in his care.

Did the chief resident wish for mass-murder? Scratch that, he probably had nothing to do with it. No, this smelled like Dumbledore. Meddling old coot, never knew when to mind his own business. But Dumbledore was getting old, and hopefully Tom would be the one to take over the position of Chief of Surgery, although Dumbledore would probably hinder it, or live forever just to spite him. He wouldn't put it past Dumbledore, he was almost unearthly, an omnipresent presence at the Hospital. He could rot in hell for all he cared. He had never liked Tom, and kept a close watch on him. And now he had placed surgical interns in his care for two weeks.

They were a bunch of idiots, all of them. The female nurses he could live with, as his acquaintance with them often resulted in him getting laid, but the interns were just a nuisance. He came to a halt when he noticed the curly haired woman, who sat behind the counter.

_Her_. The feisty one. Somehow she had seen right through him yesterday, he had no doubt about that, but not only that, she hadn't been interested. Or so she said. Her blush told him otherwise, and he prided himself on being excellent at reading people. But the way she had brushed him off and insulted him… it was refreshing. She presented a challenge.

He liked challenges.

He smirked at the thought. She would prove to be great entertainment for a few days. It had been a long time since he had last played a game of cat and mouse. He kind of missed the chase, now that he thought about it, and these past months there hadn't been much of a chase at all. Women were much too easy these days.

This one on the other hand...

She wouldn't even know what hit her. And she would probably be even more confused when he was done with her.

He would break her.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Hermione Granger was annoyed.

She had yet to reach the point where anger was hard to control and she couldn't be responsible for her actions, but she was certainly on her way. And why do you ask? Simple.

Her day had started out by her being late, very, _very_ late.

And Hermione Granger was _never_ late. Especially not on her first day of work, and yesterday didn't count, as it was merely an introduction. This was downright blasphemy!

She had fallen asleep yesterday on her oh so comfortable sofa, completely unaware of how long she would sleep, and she had figured a few hours tops would be it, as it usually was. But no. She had slept through the entire evening and night. She hadn't even realized she had been that tired, but if she thought logically about it, it didn't really come as much of a surprise.

She had been reading a lot lately, studying in advance for when she would start her training to be a scrub nurse. She had even pulled a few all-nighters, not to mention the fact that her friends had been coming over more recently, both Tonks and Molly. They were worried about her, and they knew her bad eating habits, when she had a project going on, which was why they stopped by so often. But in reality they only served to add more stress to the equation. Although, Molly's homemade cooking was very much appreciated. That woman could cook, and Hermione was tempted to say she belonged in the kitchen, but her feministic views stopped her. No woman _belonged_ in the kitchen!

So in reality this incident shouldn't have come as a surprise. But her thoughts had been otherwise occupied yesterday, completely muddled by irritation and sexual frustration, so obviously she hadn't thought to set her alarm on her phone, even if that usually was a habit of hers. No matter how small a nap, she always made sure to set the bloody alarm. But the one day she had to make a good impression and be on time, she just had to sleep in.

Dolores Umbridge, head nurse, had not been impressed with her. She could almost still hear her horrible shrilly voice lecturing her of the importance of being on time, it had sounded like tortured kittens screeching whenever she spoke. Poor kittens.

Marlene had been mighty amused, as Hermione had showed up completely frazzled, curly hair whirling around utterly uncontrolled and panting because she had been running like the devil was hot on her heels.

It was safe to say that this Tuesday morning was not her best.

She was frustrated and desperately needed an outlet.

Preferably sex.

God she needed it. She fucking needed sex, and soon. How long had it been again? Six months? Or was it more? She could scarcely remember it anymore.

Her last had been Sirius, in a drunken stupor. _Really classy, Hermione._

Friday could prove to be beneficial, as she was slowly beginning to see the advantages of going home with Sirius. Perhaps he would be open for an arrangement? Tonks really knew her too well.

Ugh. She needed to focus on her work. She really did, lest Umbridge would catch her shamelessly fantasizing about Sirius. As if the woman didn't hate her enough already, she really didn't need to give her another reason. Horrible toad-like woman in pink scrubs. Why couldn't she just retire, or go work somewhere far away from St. Mungo's?

"Bloody Umbridge." She grumbled under her breath.

She sighed in frustration and tried to tame her unruly hair into a high ponytail, but curly strands escaped her hold and fell to frame her face. By gathering her hair into a high ponytail she had unwittingly bared her neck, an act she was about to regret.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Now this was an amusing sight. The little nurse was angry already. Fuming in fact. It was almost too bad, he had enjoyed riling her up yesterday, but he was sure he could add some oil to the proverbial fire.

Her hair was wild, brown curls whirling around whenever she moved her head to the side. She wasn't what he would usually go for; somehow he mostly ended up with a tall blonde beneath him, although he did have his share of brunettes, redheads and black haired beauties.

_Always beneath him_.

But this woman, she was different. She wasn't extraordinarily beautiful, she wasn't overtly tall either, nor was she on the short side. She had spunk, and so far she hadn't taken any of his shite, but only time would tell if that was a one-time-thing.

But right now she was simply bewitching, with her big brown doe eyes, sparkling with fury, and her curvaceous little body. He couldn't wait to have her panting beneath him, and if she was as wild in bed as her personality suggested, he would definitely take his time with her.

He could hear her grumbling, something about Umbridge. Ah, so she had already had her share of the extraordinarily annoying woman. Not many liked her, if any at all. He idly wondered why she was even hired in the first place, but came up with no logical explanation.

He could see the brunette woman pull her hair up in a ponytail, and that's when he decided to sneak up on her. She had unwittingly bared her neck to him, not that she was aware of that fact, but she would be sure to regret ever meeting him. He would enjoy messing with her.

And what luck, no one else was around at the moment. Whatever deities were looking at the moment, he was glad they sided with him. Perhaps they found games amusing too.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Hermione was about to scream at the unfairness of it all when _that _happened.

"What the hell!" Hermione's eyes went wide, when she felt the unfamiliar sensation on the nape of her neck. She turned around so quickly she was sure she heard something crack, also she bumped into the desk, when she found the space much to narrow to turn fully.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" She screamed at the narcissistic cardio god, when she found him right behind her smirking like the cocky bastard that he was. How dare he lick her neck like that? It was an invasion of her personal space, dammit!

"I am not sure what you are referring to?" He cocked an eyebrow, challenging her with his nonchalance. She looked around and found no one in the vicinity, except for Marlene who was well on her way down the corridor.

"You know perfectly well what I am bloody referring to! You licked my neck! Who the hell does that?" She screeched not caring who heard, although with the current lack of people no one would.

"I am sure you are imagining things, although we could arrange something involving licking." He gave her a satisfied smirk, while oozing pure sex. God, she could just rip off his clothes. NO! Bad Hermione! She was sure she looked like a deer caught in the headlights at the moment, a dangerous blush rising to her cheeks.

"How dare you! Like I would ever agree to do something like that, with the likes of you!" Her eyes flashed with anger, and she took a step forward and slapped him as hard as she could. No man got away with degrading Hermione Granger, and if he thought she was an easy lay, he had another thing coming. No matter how sexy he was.

Perhaps slapping him wasn't the best way to go about it though. His reaction was instant. Before she had time to register what happened, she was shoved hard against the desk behind her, her arms held tight in a death-grip behind her back, and one Dr Tom Riddle closer than ever before. His eyes were flashing dangerously, and she was beginning to regret her decision to slap him, but when she considered the fact that she might have been the first woman to ever do that, it brought back the satisfaction.

She glared defiantly back at him, her body pushed closely up against him. Good thing she wore a bra. She couldn't help but wonder if he worked out, it certainly felt like it. No no no no no! Bad thoughts. Shameless thoughts be gone!

"Wrong thing to do… Hermione." He glanced down at her nametag, for the first time realizing what her name was. And for the first time he was sure he would remember it. No woman had ever slapped him before.

"First time someone called you on your shite?" She retorted, a glare still very much present. If looks could kill… He really didn't seem to like her very much now. Good. She didn't like him very much either.

He leaned in close to her, his mouth near the shell of her ear. "You are going to listen, and you are going to listen good." He paused and took his time to give a nip to the lobe of her ear. She would have melted at the sensation, if she hadn't been so furious. "If you ever slap me like that again, I will break your hand, make no mistake about that." He tightened his hold on her wrists as if to underline his threat, and a shiver went through her, his voice was as gentle as a lover's would be, but his words was cruel and promising. How the hell could that possibly be arousing?

"Understood?" He whispered and leaned back to look at her, still holding her arms behind her back. She looked wide-eyed at him. She had not expected him to react so… so violent, yet so controlled? Did that even make sense? She could only nod in compliance at him, not wanting to actually test the truth of his words. She had no doubt he would break both her wrists if he wanted to. Woman or not. How everyone else failed to see this part of him, she couldn't comprehend.

He gently eased off her and the hold on her wrists. By God they were sore! If she had bruises… She doubted suing him would actually work, that man was as slippery as a snake. He probably had friends in high places, and taking legal action against him would be a lost cause for sure.

"Good, obedience is a much appreciated virtue in a woman." He drawled out, only wanting to provoke her, and that infuriating smirk was back in place. She could see the red mark on his cheek starting to fade. How disappointing, she would have liked to see him explain a perfectly placed handprint on his cheek, to the people around him. But from what she knew of him and his character, he would have found a way out of it.

"You foul evil little cockroach! If you ever try something like that again, I will sue you for sexual harassment, _make no mistake about that!_" She threw his words right back at him, and prayed he wouldn't call her on her bluff. She knew St. Mungo's would take his words over hers any day.

"Really now?" He raised his eyebrow at that infuriating way again, daring her to do just that. "You should be careful about such serious statements, Hermione. Who knows what I might do to you?" He was taunting her, cruelly so. He was still very close to her, barely a metre distance between them. Why did he find such pleasure in her agony? He didn't even know her. _Yet_.

She didn't answer. She didn't know how to. He was more screwed up than she had originally thought. What was wrong with him?

"What do you want from me?" She asked, and her brows scrunched up in confusion. What had compelled him to seek her out in the first place?

"That's a very good question, Hermione." She hated how he used her name, how _right_ it sounded when he said it. She almost jumped when he leaned into her again, and she automatically tried to move backwards, although she could go no further. The sharp edge of the counter digging into her backside, but she barely noticed the pain.

He touched a stray curl almost lovingly, but she was too focused on whatever move he would make next to notice.

"I want you beneath me. Panting. Screaming out my name as you come." He whispered into her ear. His hot breath scorching her already blushing skin.

Then he turned and left, leaving her no room for argument or retaliation. She was red-faced, her blush unavoidable.

What the hell just happened there?

.

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><p>.<p>

Bloody buggering hell!

She was furious! And now she was horny as well, thanks to that infuriating man! That slimy little snake, how dare he even suggest that? How dare he manhandle her like that? How dare he? Oh that's right! He dares! She angrily stomped down the hallway, almost knocking over a cart with trays of lunch in the process.

Great, just what she needed.

She stopped right in her tracks. On top of a very bad morning and yet another encounter with Dr Evil, she had just come across the marauding, mayhem causing, and mischief making Prewett twins.

She watched on as the two redheaded twins managed to rile up Marlene, who had brought their lunch, and who was still not used to their twisted sense of humour.

Did they honestly think they could trick her into believing their names were Gabian and Fideon? She could see Marlene was about to blow a fuse, when they refused to budge in their claims.

"You do realise we have your charts? Lying about your names won't work." Hermione interrupted, displeased by their stupid joke, and nowhere near sad at her revelation of their moronic joke. Honestly, they were in their late twenties and they still insisted on swapping and mangling their names into unrecognizable aliases, and they still very much risked their necks like it was no big deal. Their line of work did nothing on that account either.

They should be grateful they only had a broken leg each. The really did everything in sync, didn't they?

"Hermione!" They both exclaimed, genuinely surprised at her presence in their room.

"Now that's hardly fair…" Fabian started.

"…They have super woman on their team, and ready to…" Gideon continued without looking at his brother.

"…Ruin all our meticulously planned fun…"

"How are we supposed to survive…"

"… Two whole days in this place without any kind of entertainment?" The twins looked at each other in agreement and with a mock-seriousness that made Hermione scoff.

Marlene looked back and forth between Fabian and Gideon, amazed by their way of speaking, her previous anger fading into wonder. Hermione opted for ignoring it completely.

"Stuff it. You two can forget whatever pathetic little schemes you have planned, or I will tell Molly. Be sure of that." The twins looked nervously at each other, obviously uncomfortable at the thought of Molly getting the wind of their nurse-harassment-plans. Their sister was a force to be reckoned with, and even they dared not to mess with her. Their parents, no problem. Molly - now that was a no-go, even for them.

"She wouldn't… Would she Fab?" Gideon snuck a sneaky glance at his brother.

"I don't know Gid. Wouldn't put it past her." Fabian returned, and caught his brother's stare.

"Cut it out. Right now. I'm not in the mood for your word plays today, nor do you want to push my buttons today, they have been pushed enough as it is, _believe me_. So unless you wish for something very painful to happen, I suggest you drop it right now." She bit out, and they eyed each other warily. Whenever Hermione was in this mood they usually stayed clear of her, they had experienced her vengeance first hand, and it was not pretty. The pretty, seemingly docile nurse had a creativity that could, and definitely would, get ugly, if she was pushed to far. They had learned that the hard way.

"Alright, alright." Gideon began and his hands were held in a surrendering gesture.

"We concede." Fabian ended and mimicked his brother's hand gesture, to appease the angry woman in front of them. Who knew what she would do to their food if they continued? They wouldn't put it past her to do something terribly annoying to get back at them, and as much as they loved to tease her, they had to admit she was inspiring in her anger. They had always thought her to be brilliant. Brilliant, but scary as hell.

"Good. Now stop messing with Marlene and behave like adults. And Marlene, don't trust anything that comes out of their mouth. I have to go now, because Umbridge has assigned me to help old Mrs Figg wash up, as she had a bit of an accident." Marlene looked at her with pity, even though she was new to this hospital, practically everyone had heard about Mrs Figg. That old lady had tendency to soil herself and she refused to get a colostomy bag, not that there was any valid reason for her to get one, besides the fact she was as good as senile.

Hermione looked ready to murder something or someone, but it was part of the job after all, however undignified it might seem.

"Did you just pinch my arse?" She could hear Marlene screech behind her.

Hermione groaned and rolled her eyes, when she closed the door after her. Marlene was on her own now.

.

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><p>.<p>

"Remus? It's Hermione, I need to speak with Tonks, and seeing how her phone didn't survive this time around either, I figured you would be the best way to get in contact with her." Hermione spoke into her phone.

"Hullo Hermione. I'm afraid Dora is with Molly at the moment, but I was actually just about to call you. She said to tell you to go pick up a butt-load of Ben & Jerry's and come over, if you had time to spare. She had a feeling you needed to talk, but didn't want to barge in and disturb you, if you were too tired." Remus explained in kind, by now used to Tonks' orders.

Hermione had always liked Remus, he had been kind to her in school, and had not been put off by her excessive need to learn, but instead opted to humour her and encourage her. Sometimes she wondered if she should just find someone like Remus, and settle down like Tonks and he were about to do, but whenever she was about to head in that direction, something went wrong. Tonks often told her it was like watching a car crash in slow motion.

Disturbing comparison. She really did wish she could be happy with a normal guy, but no… She was beginning to wonder if something was horribly wrong with her. Emotionally stunted her mother called her, dating disaster Molly labelled her, and Tonks just laughed at the hilarity of it all. No one else dared to comment on her dating defect, at least not in her presence.

"Thanks, sometimes I wonder what Tonks would do without you Remus." She paused and gave a little laugh at the thought. Tonks would be lost without Remus to save her from herself and her crazy antics. Her flat alone would be a lost cause if Remus wasn't there to rein in the chaos. Poor guy, but at least he knew what he was walking into, now that they had decided to move in together.

"But if her majesty has demanded ice cream, I suppose I will have to hurry then." She gave a dramatic sigh and Remus chortled at his girlfriend's demands and love for ice cream. It was insane how that petite woman could consume monstrous amounts of ice cream without gaining any weight whatsoever. Remus was much the same, although he was more of a chocoholic than anything else. Hermione envied their metabolism, where they just consumed unbelievable amounts of unhealthy food and sweets and never worked out, Hermione had to work out at least once in a while to be able to maintain her figure. Hermione wasn't overtly thin; she had curves, a very beautiful hourglass figure as Tonks so often told her, which she envied Hermione. Funny how one always envied what others had, Hermione envied Tonks her lithe form and Tonks envied Hermione's curvaceous figure. Truly mind-boggling.

"Yes that would probably be in your best interest, lest Dora actually has to go choose which ones to buy herself." Remus laughed, Tonks could be a pain in the arse when it came to actually deciding on what to choose.

"Oh dear, she would be stuck in the store for an hour. Oh well, I'll better get going then. See you later Remus." Hermione looked at her watch in her hand, she had the most beautiful little golden pocket-watch in a necklace around her neck, odd little patterns and an hourglass engraved on the surface. On the backside there was words engraved - _I mark the hours every one nor have I yet outrun the sun. My use and value unto you are gauged by what you have to do. _It was without a doubt a different choice of words to engrave, but Hermione found it oddly compelling. She adored it and was glad she had even found it in the first place. Tonks and Molly had dragged her out shopping, very much against her will, but the second-hand boutique they ended up in, had been the home of her beloved watch. She had bought it immediately. It had an almost magical pull to it.

"Right you are, Hermione. I'll see you Friday." Remus ended, he hung up and the line went dead. Hermione sighed, so, a stop to the nearest store it was then. Bloody Tonks, now she had another thing to complain about. Tuesdays sucked, perhaps even more so than Mondays. Or maybe it was just this particular Tuesday.

She grabbed her keys in the weird-shaped bowl on the counter, and headed for the door, quickly slipping into her black ballet flats and her brown summer jacket. With the addition of her black bag slung over her shoulder, she was ready to head out in search of much needed ice cream.

Well, if one couldn't have sex, then ice cream was a brilliant alternative.

.

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><p>.<p>

Considering how bad his day had started out, when that chit... what was her name again? Mathilda? Marina? Mafalda! That was it. Yes, when Mafalda had pestered him he had been about to do something stupid, but then _she_ had happened.

_Hermione. _

He remembered her name, which was probably a first, seeing how she had no real value to him, and he still remembered it. But slapping him had been a first for him and a very bad idea. Before he had even considered where he was, he had held her arms in a death-grip and shoved himself so close to her that it had been hard not to react to her sweet curvaceous body.

She had been surprised all right, but so had he. Not that she had noticed that particular detail. He would have to be careful around her, as he hadn't planned to manhandle her like he had; he almost cringed at the word. Manhandle. So far she had brought out his less agreeable assets, well less agreeable to others. He didn't see any fault with the way he was or behaved. How could he? He was perfect. What a shame he couldn't live forever.

But this little vixen had affected him in a way he hadn't counted on. She was a feisty little lioness, bowing down to no one, which he mused, was something that would change soon enough.

He would have to take a different approach though, pushing her limits like he had was amusing, but he was afraid to slip up around others. And that simply wouldn't do! But it was such a turn on to force her into submission, when he had left it had been to find that Mafalda chit to take out his sexual frustration. By God, it had been a long time since he had been that hard from something so _innocent. _When she would succumb to him, and it was really just a question of time, he would take his sweet time with her.

Now how to go about it?

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

AN: Hello again! Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews, it warms my heart to see someone liking my stories. That goes for favourites and alerts too. :)

I am sorry it took longer than expected, but I have been in over my head with assignments. School sucks. And because English isn't my main language, I have to take time to check every chapter for potential flaws, because I don't have a beta to do all the hard work. But hopefully this chapter is to your liking, and not too rushed, as I had very little time to work on it. I really hope to update once or twice a week, if possible.

I just wish to say in regards to facts and definitions concerning the medical side of this story, well, most I know from Grey's Anatomy (Which is American, not British, so there might be differences in regards to the system. I am from Denmark, so again there are differences to be found.), research and from people I know.

Again, thank you so much for the reviews, and I hope to hear from you. Be it constructive criticism, praise or questions.

Oh, and before I forget. Ron is not going to come into existence for a long time, but Harry will be a part of this story.

Love,

M.V. Avery


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